Who is Christian Parker, the presumed front-runner for the DC position with the Packers?
Four candidates have reportedly been scheduled for interviews by the Green Bay Packers to replace former defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who was let go three days ago. These candidates are former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, Bills linebackers coach Bobby Babich, Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde, and Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker. Two sources reportedly informed Andrew Mertig of the Pack-A-Day Podcast that Parker is not only in Green Bay at the moment, but that he has received an offer to take over as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Currently, neither the Packers’ beat writers nor Mertig have addressed if Parker has accepted the offer, nor have they refuted the report. That hasn’t stopped the interest in Parker over the past few hours, though, so while we wait for more information about the Packers’ defensive coordinator search to surface, we might as well try to delve deeply into Parker’s coaching background.
Parker, a student-athlete at the University of Richmond, is a native of northern Virginia. In addition to playing receiver and cornerback for the football team, he ran track as a Spider. He began his career as a graduate assistant at Division II Virginia State shortly after he finished playing, and he quickly rose to the position of defensive backs coach. He transferred from one HBCU to another, spending two years as a defensive backs coach at Norfolk State in the FCS.
Before becoming a defensive analyst for Mike Elko’s team at Notre Dame in 2017, he also worked there for two years. Elko would depart Notre Dame in 2018 to take a position as head coach at Texas A&M after having a fruitful tenure at Duke. This would result in
Parker’s first NFL job was as a defensive quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers in 2019, working under defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. He served in that capacity for two years before the Denver Broncos extended an offer for him to become their defensive backs coach, a full-time on-field position. Parker was retained during his three years in Denver, even though he had three different defensive coordinators and three different head coaches. Interestingly, he was a coach for current defensive coordinators Vic Fangio of the Eagles, Ejiro Evero of the Panthers, and Vance Joseph of the Broncos.
Christian Parker’s coaching background
2013: Graduate assistant at Virginia State (D2)
2014: Coach of defensive backs at Virginia State (D2)
Norfolk State (FCS) defensive backs coach, 2015–2016
2017: Defensive analyst for Notre Dame (FBS)
2018: Defensive analyst for Texas A&M (FBS)
Green Bay Packers defensive quality control coach for 2019–2020
Denver Broncos defensive backs coach for 2021–2023
In light of this, what sort of coach is Parker and what kind of offense would he implement in Green Bay if appointed defensive coordinator? The 32-year-old, who hasn’t called plays at any level yet, isn’t well-known, although a few reports indicate how highly regarded he is in Denver.
One of these comes from Robby Davis, the Broncos beat writer, and Taylor Kyles, the Patriots beat writer. Parker, in Davis’ opinion, played a crucial role in changing the defense from the Fangio-style defense to the plan Joseph wished to implement in Denver. The Broncos’ mid-season progress was evident to the Packers, who were held to just 17 points in just four games following Denver’s 70-point output.
It’s important to note that Parker interviewed for the Patriots’ defensive coordinator position, which appears to have gone to internal applicant DeMarcus Covington. The only teams that are currently aware of having scheduled interviews with Parker are the Packers and Patriots.
Another report from Broncos Wire, which captured Joseph’s opinions about the assistant coach, demonstrates the significance of Parker to the Broncos coaching staff.
On June 14, current defensive coordinator Vance Joseph remarked of Parker, “He’s sharp, man.” “He is intelligent. He is renowned. He’s a pleasure to collaborate with. I’ve been coordinating for roughly seven years as an experienced coach. Now that my tape is public, I’m trying to think of new approaches.
“It’s been fun to bounce ideas off Christian about his past experiences with guys and Vic [Foangi We’ve been talking every day. We’re adapting and expanding upon their work from the previous year. He is a smart guy who puts in a lot of work, and his players enjoy being around him. He is renowned.
There are two videos featuring Parker on the Broncos’ YouTube page if you want to get a sense of his “vibe.” The first follows him around practice in a Mic’d Up segment. The second is a summertime media availability Parker did. Both of those videos are available via the links below.
